


The World is a Strange and Unfamiliar Place

by GreenBread



Category: The Walking Dead (Telltale Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - High School, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Clementine Has a Prosthetic Leg (Walking Dead), F/F, F/M, Homophobia, Racism, Road Trips
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-24
Updated: 2020-10-27
Packaged: 2021-03-03 23:21:59
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,503
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24893842
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GreenBread/pseuds/GreenBread
Summary: After somehow being sent to a world without walkers, Clementine is struggling to adjust. One teacher, Mr Everett, is determined to help her for reasons unknown to him and Clementine.She just wished she could stop almost calling the man Lee. He wasn't her Lee anymore and probably never would be.For some reason, that revelation hurt way more than losing her leg...
Relationships: Carley/Lee Everett, Clementine & Lee Everett
Comments: 9
Kudos: 39





	1. Place Your Hands

**Author's Note:**

> So, I'm trying something new. 
> 
> Being from the UK, I'm not familiar with how schools work over in the USA so cut me some slack for getting something wrong, okay?

Clementine's fingers hovered over the mouse, her eyes creased and mouth in a small frown. Lee had sent her an email. The seventeen-year-old had managed to avoid going to school that day, and she knew that the principal wouldn't be happy with her. She just hoped he would hurry up and expel her. Clementine had been nothing but trouble since being transported into this strange new world in a desperate, yet futile, attempt to get out and back to the wilderness. Back to a life she understood. 

It had taken about a month for her to accept that she would never see AJ again. Her little Goofball was gone. She just hoped that she hadn't bitten him. All she could remember was AJ bringing that axe down onto her leg and then... nothing. Just nothing and suddenly she was thrust into a filled classroom, her leg missing and bleeding everywhere. It had taken everyone by surprise. Even Lee, the always calm and level-headed Lee had been surprised but quickly reacted and called an ambulance with a student's phone.

She snapped out of her thoughts and clicked on the email. The screen flashed white, almost blinding her. She loved dark mode but opening the emails always sucked. Dark mode was a bitch like that. Once her eyes had adjusted, she scanned the email critically. 

_ Hey, I'm worried about you. I know losing your leg like that must've been traumatic but I would like you to know that I am always available to talk if you want.  _

_ Just... Please respond to this email... _

_ So I know you're okay. I care about you, Clem. _

Her amber orbs softened. Lee had always been like this. She had confronted him about it before, but he just said he had an unexplainable urge to help her. He cared for her for reasons she didn't quite know. Who could care about someone like her? Someone who had taken more lives than she could count. But then again, he didn't know about that and never would. This was a secret she was taking to the grave. 

She went to respond to the email and hesitated. She was touched by the concern but...

She didn't need his help. 

It was with a heavy heart and an intense amount of guilt that she closed the tab. She wouldn't ever need help. She was fine. If she could adapt to a world with walkers, she could adapt to a world without. Easy. Even if she had yet to figure out how Bluetooth works...

It was nothing. Clementine could interrogate a man into giving up the location of her friends. She could do this.

Her newly fitted prosthetic leg was futuristic. It was matte black with mechanical pieces that wormed and adjusted as she took a step. The ankle joint whirred in comfortable silence as she stretched and relaxed further into her seat. She opened Youtube, her favourite thing about the strange world she had ended up in and browsed. Having learned long ago that the recommended tab was a waste of time, she skipped it. Instead her cursor found itself in the music category. 

She loved music. It had quickly soared into her top five favourite things. She never realised how much she missed hearing the strings of a guitar and the steady beats of a drum until she heard Green Day for the first time in, well, years. Music had changed a lot from when she was younger. Nowadays, everyone might as well be a robot with how much autotune was used. 

Clementine clicked on the first video, a song by  _ Reef  _ called  _ Place Your Hands _ . The music echoed through her headphone, and like instinct, she started to bob her head to the tune and tapped away at her keyboard. Writing an essay about World War One for Lee. It was due to be handed in tomorrow, and she had only just started. Pausing mid-sentence, she debated if it was even worth it. Lee would be disappointed, she didn't want to see that on the man she held so dearly. 

Even if it wasn't the same one she knew. 

A small sigh slipped through her parted lips, and she began typing once again. Clicking from the keyboard filling the long and restless night. 

It was the next morning, and Clementine could already feel her eyes slipping shut. Sluggishly, Clementine jostled her backpack and waddled into history class, her eyes drooping and large bags hiding beneath. Her seat was at the back of the classroom. A small chair that scraped against the floorboards when she plopped heavily into it. Lee glanced at her in concern. She ignored him and promptly banged her head against the desk, a small groan escaping her cracked lips; a result of not drinking. Unfortunately, she was used to her mouth being as dry as a desert. The dead walking would do that to you. 

Her hand fell into her bag, and she dragged out a twenty-page printed essay. For someone with only a first-grade education, that was pretty impressive. Clementine slammed the thing onto her desk. Lee was still looking at her, more curiosity than anything now. His eyes were gleaming in... Amusement? What was there to be amused about? 

"What?" She snapped, irritated. It was one thing to be worried about her but another to be laughing at her. Lee shook his head, a small grin placated on his face. 

"Wrong class, Clementine," He responded simply. "You don't have history today." 

Her face ignited red. Multiple feelings burst inside her, embarrassment, shame and anger, to name a few. She had only just noticed the cocky grins of the fucking nine graders staring at her, laughing at her. Some vocal.

"It's Thursday, isn't it?" She desperately tried. 

It was futile. Lee replied. "Today is Friday."

"Oh." Silence. "Fuck. I wasted all of yesterday writing this fucking thing!" She gestured at the essay.

Chuckling, Lee walked up to her and grabbed the blasted essay. "Look, Clem, just... take the day off, alright?"

Before she could fight back, Lee cut her off. 

"You need to sleep. If what you said was true you've been up for almost two days now."

She closed her mouth. The muscles in her face tight. Clementine nodded and got up. Her brown curls drooped into her eye, only adding to her dishevelled look. She trodded out of the room, barely hearing Lee saying he would speak to her later before telling the students in his class to quieten down and that everyone makes mistakes.

Lee was a nice guy. 

The hallways of the school were empty, having been bustling with life earlier that day. Everyone was in class now, doing whatever. She didn't care. She just wanted to go to bed. That wasn't ever going to happen though, not when the principal was waiting for her. He was standing at the entrance to the dorms, on guard. 

She could sneak through the window... 

No. That would never work. It was hard to sneak around these days because a hunk of metal existed where the leg used to be. Sucking it up, Clementine approached the principal. He had balding, grey hair and a large bulbous nose. Small stubble stuck to his chin like tar and feathers. Messy was the best way to describe him. His feet were tapping the ground impatiently. 

"What is it?" She asked unkindly, just wanting to get past. 

He frowned at her. "You're dangerously close to getting a detention young lady." 

"So what? I never go." 

"You're lucky I haven't expelled you yet." 

"Not really." She replied with a small, indifferent shrug. 

The principal glared at her. "You'll be glad to know that the only reason you're still here is that this  _ is  _ a school for troubled youth. We are experts at handling stuff like this. We can only help you if you let us and you aren't."

"Because I don't need it." 

"Keeping telling yourself that," The principal sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "In this week alone you have gotten into fights with four students, assaulted a member of faculty with a knife and haven't attended any classes apart from history."

"Eh, Jenny had it coming." 

"My daughter didn't have anything coming." 

"Whatever you say, man. Can I sleep now? I don't have the patience for this ass-fuckery today."

The old man marched past her, giving her access to the dorms. 

"Finally..." She muttered, walking into the building.


	2. Rose

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Racism in this chapter.

Clementine swirled around in her seat, leaning back and groaning in pure and utter boredom. What was taking Lee so long? It was almost nine in the evening. She drummed her fingers against the brim of the seat in a melody of soft, rapid taps. Her foot thundered against the cheap floorboards, keeping up with the percussion of the music drowning her hearing and thinking. 

Was Lee in trouble? 

No, no. That would be impossible. There were aggressive pupils in the school, she was one of them after all, but no-one had a problem with Lee. She never bothered keeping up with all the social circles, but she knew the consensus around the overly friendly man was incredibly positive. No-one hated him. 

An inkling of doubt edged out from her core, worming its way through her muscles and into her brain. Her foot tapping increased, and her swirling turned still as a statue. The annoying analogue clock seemed louder, and the rustling leaves outside the dirty window sounded frantic and confused. 

A small volley of raindrops cracked against the window, repetitive and driving her insane. She shot out of her seat like a woman possessed, clutched the chilled door handle and swung the door open, marching into the empty corridor. 

Rows of doors, all as bland as the next, awaited her as she jogged down the twisting corridor. The soft, blue carpet crunched satisfyingly under the weight of her prosthetic. She moved past the employee of the year awards displayed proudly on the wall, and out the front door into the now powerful rain. It struck against her face like the slashes of a whip. Quick and sudden. Drenching her clothes and soaking her down to the bone. 

She stormed through a puddle, ignoring how the mud splashed all over her. The teenager approached a wide double door, barred windows and locked. She swore under her breath and reached into her pocket, pulling out a shoddy shank made out of random crap she had found in her room. Gritting her teeth, she plunged the blade into the lock and wiggled it a little. 

Her free hand burrowed into the chest pocket on her jacket and pulled out a girly paper clip. It was pink and sparkly. She jammed it into the lock and grinned as the doors swung open. 

She was inside. Having pocketed her equipment, she moved inside and headed toward Lee's class. Lights flickered on and off as she walked. A dust of fear settled like a heavy blanket on her small shoulders. 

Distant yelling reverberated throughout the haunted hollow hallways, and she raised an eyebrow inquisitively. Whatever that was, it worried her. It was coming from the direction of Lee's classroom. Swiftly, her pace picked up.

She rounded the corner and a fracture of light beamed through the thin slit in Lee's door. The shouting was coming from in there. Sticking close to the wall, Clementine slowly slithered up. 

"Please! I need this A or my parents are going to kill me!" It was distinctly feminine yet not high pitched. Her voice was smooth, and every word sounded like it had purpose despite her panicked tone. 

"I'm sorry, Jenny, but I can't. Maybe if you hadn't spent all my lesson on your phone, this wouldn't be an issue." Lee replied, buttery smooth voice taking control of the situation. 

Clementine got closer during the odd beat of silence. Close enough to see Jenny move closer to Lee, swinging her hips widely. She had long, flowing chestnut hair and milky white skin, eyes that were pools of stunning azure. Anyone with half a brain, Clementine included, could admit she was up there in terms of looks. Clementine squinted suspiciously at the other girl's body language. 

" _I'll do you a favour?_ " 

She couldn't hide the sneer of disgust at the girl's flirtatious tone and was about to bust the door down when Lee's voice cut her off. "No. Get out of my sight." 

Jenny was back to panicking now, "B-but-" 

"Leave. Before I rip up your already late essay and throw it in the shredder." 

Clementine smirked at the swift justice and quickly moved out of the way of the door before it could swing open and hit her in the face. Victoria came barging out with her cheeks flushed red and expression livid. Their eyes met. 

"What the fuck are you smirking at, bitch?" 

"You failing miserably. Not only are you now going to get an F in that class, but you also failed at being a slut. Wasn't that your plan once you got out? Get on your knees for a quick buck?"

Jenny growled at her, leering at her like she was inferior, "I don't care. Especially not when it comes from a crippled fuck. Especially one of your kind."

Clementine squinted suspiciously. "The fuck are you trying to say?"

An ugly snort erupted out of the taller's nose. "You're all the fucking same. A pain up my ass."

Clementine resisted the urge to punch her. "Plenty of shit's been up there you fucking whore-"

"Whoa, whoa, ladies, please." Lee interrupted. "Can we take a moment to think?" 

They both went silent, staring at him. Lee sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Jenny? Leave."

The girl in question took a deep breath and shoulder-barged past Clementine, who, in a state of explosive anger, went to insult again. 

"Clementine!" Lee interjected, making her shoulders droop. She looked at him. "A word, please?" 

"Yeah, yeah..." She mumbled, stropping into the desolate classroom. It was strange seeing rows of tidy, uninhabited desks. She pulled a chair out from under one and dragged it the front, placing it directly in front of Lee's desk. "You heard what she said and what she tried to do with you, and you're letting her get away with it?"

Lee took a seat, locking his computer screen and sighing. "She's the principal's daughter..." He paused, taking a sip of his coffee, "What's up?"

She took her cap off and wrangled out the wet stored within the fabric. Spilling it across the floor. "You didn't show up."

Lee's eyed widened. "Oh shi- I forgot, sorry, Clem. Something important came up, and it completely slipped my mind."

She washed away the wisps of disappointment that played within her tightly wound jaw. "What was so important?"

Lee deflated, and Clementine immediately regretted asking. "It-It was my brother... he died." 

She looked away, guilt slithering over her in a wave. She could vaguely remember the photo Lee had ripped in half in his parent' drug store. His name plagued the forefront of her thoughts. "Buddy. Right?" 

"Yeah... I'm the only living family he had left and... he had a child, and I gotta look after him until they find someone else who can. I ain't prepared enough to look after a kid." Lee chuckled, "He was gonna call him Buddy Junior but... the kid woulda got bullied in school. He settled on our uncle's name."

Clementine nodded, unsure what to say. She did almost crack a smile at what the kid's name could've been.

Lee continued, "Look, whatever you need, make it quick. I got to pick this kid up soon, and he lives all the way down in Georgia." 

She nodded. "I... I don't know. I just had this strange, sudden urge to come find you. I thought maybe something was wrong. You said you were gonna come talk to me, and you never did."

"It's gonna have to wait I'm afraid. I'll be back to talk to you tomorrow evening."

"Oh..."

"I'm sorry, Clem but..." 

"I get it. Don't worry." 

Lee analysed her expression worriedly. She put on her best smile in response. His mouth creased into a frown and he stood, offering his hand for a handshake. "Well, it was nice talking to you Clementine, but I really gotta run."

She took it, and a breathless "Yeah" escaped her lips. 

"I wish we coulda talked longer," Lee said, shrugging into a black raincoat and waiting by the door. She walked through it, and Lee locked it behind her. "See ya tomorrow, Sweetpea." 

Clementine nodded, watching as he walked down the corridor. She took a couple of steps in the other direction and paused.

What did Lee just call her? 

"Wait, wait, Lee!" She rushed around the corner after him, but the man had disappeared. She slowed to a standstill and looked around for him. "Shit..."

It had been a couple minutes since Clementine had last seen Lee, and now she was hiding in a bush. Leaves and twigs in her damp hair and sludgy mud coating her knees. It all felt so familiar, yet different. The air tasted dirty, and streetlights created a glow she was still not quite used to. It was alien to her. Her fingers sifted through the ground next to her heel and discovered a rock, fitting into her palm comfortably. It had a nice weight to it.

She had always hated Jenny, but not once did she expect her and her posse to ambush her. It was how she knew her survival brain was ticking off. She used to be wired for this sort of thing, but she could feel herself slipping away into an empty chasm of neglected knowledge and skills. 

Clementine had to admit, even as the glare of a flashlight ignited the bush she was in, there was a bit of humour to be found in her current predicament. In her old world, she would have killed them by now and moved on. Except that wasn't possible here, not unless she wanted to go to prison. 

She reared her arm back and launched the rock through the air, watching as it hit the side of a blue dumpster with a booming metallic bang. The light shone onto the object, and Clementine took her chance to make a break for it, dashing out of cover.

Each breath was visible, clouds hanging in the air just outside her lips. The cold felt like it was scratching at her throat. A familiar, yet not unwelcome, surge of adrenaline coursed through her veins in pulsating rhythms like the music she listens to. 

This was something the teenager knew. Running away. She rounded the corner as the yells from the group behind her increased ten-fold. Her legs pumped into overdrive and her fingers curled around a metal streetlight; using it to propel herself around another corner. 

She scrambled, tearing the skin on her palms against the rough concrete from the sudden change in momentum. She could vaguely see Lee in the distance, wrestling with a beast of a pitbull. Her coat a simmering golden brown with seeps of steel muscles lining her body. She barked as Lee pulled her roughly back via the chain attached to her collar. 

Clementine recognised the dog. It was Rosie. A smile split across her face, and a short discharge of excited laughter sprouted from her chest. She saw the flashes of recognition in Rosie's golden eyes as her face fell into a lop-sided grin with a tongue that lolled out the side of her mouth. 

Lee froze, looking between Clementine and Rosie, bewildered. 

"Lee!" Clementine shouted, ducking as a sharp stone exploded past her cheek. "Release Rosie!" 

The man faltered for a slight moment before sighing and releasing the chain. Rosie took off. Her strong legs blended into a blur as she barreled towards Clementine. 

The teenager slid to a stop, and Rosie jumped protectively in front of her. The pitbull's jaw vibrated as she growled at the pursuers, who all stiffened in place. 

Clementine smirked as the small group tucked their tail between their legs and retreated. Rosie turned to look at her, and she smiled at the dog. Rosie yipped as she kneeled, accepting the big dog into a hug and getting slobber smeared across her muddy face. The tongue felt rough, gripping to her features. 

She playfully batted Rosie's snout, laughing and pushing her face away. Rosie ignored her efforts and continued cleaning off the grime.

"Who's a good girl? Yes, you are!" Clementine giggled as Rosie rolled onto her side, exposing her belly for rubs. The teenager laughed once again and complied with the dog's request. 

It was contagious as Lee was soon chuckling beside her. "I see you're making quick friends with Rosie?" 

"Oh, you have no idea." She responded, letting Rosie put her mouth around her arm, playfighting. Clementine fell to the ground as Rosie's slobber attacked her once again


End file.
